Chapter 51: The Public Hall Above, Hong Yun's Head as Green as a Bean

  I'm sorry that the updates have been a bit late these past two days. I haven't been sleeping well lately, and the symptoms have started to show up.

  My whole body feels weak and I have a headache, especially on both temples, which are so sensitive that even the slightest touch is unbearable.

  The usual update time for Doudou will be at 8 o'clock. If there are any temporary changes, don't wait and check again the next day. However, I guarantee that before the conclusion, I absolutely won't drop updates.

  Please subscribe, the results are too dismal, no motivation. Also: The main text of Doudou is around 3,300 words, and the nonsense is free.

  The gate of the government office opened, and a group of people rushed in. Li raised her head to glance at the sky and said calmly that it wasn't time yet, which made Shen Han follow suit with an air of nonchalance. Thinking about it, since things were already like this at home, what else was there for the Yuan family to worry about? Today's visit was just to give a result regarding the recent rumors, whether good or bad, and actually, the Zhao family wasn't that worried.

  "Let's go"

  Seeing that everyone had already gone in, she also knew that the onlookers would not be able to enter the public hall and were just watching at the door. Shen Huan didn't say anything, holding onto Li Shi's arm, was about to lift her foot when a voice came from behind her, making her break out into cold sweat.

  "Auntie is well, Uncle Zhao is well."

  Shen Huan turned around to see that Zuo Xing's eyes were still as pure and innocent as a blank sheet of paper. Her heart skipped a beat, but she still had the nerve to greet her. However, Shen Huan only smiled ambiguously at her without saying a word, seemingly trying to figure out what she was up to. Meanwhile, Hu Youxian also started to become curious about this shameless woman and wondered what was going on in her mind.

  "Zuo Xing, why didn't you go in with your mother?"

  It was Li who spoke first, and Zhao Xiuzhuo pretended not to see Zuo Xing because of their previous conversation. Originally expressionless, she now looked even more ferocious, as if she wanted to eat someone. This made Zuo Xing seem puzzled, and he finally raised his eyes to look at Shen Han, wondering if she had revealed her own affairs to him.

  What happened at the Shadow Moon Snow's house had instantly shattered Zuo Xuan's hopes, but when she saw Zhao Xiuzhuo, she still couldn't help but want to get closer to him. She knew that her feelings for him weren't just about having an ulterior motive; there was also a part of her heart that genuinely liked him.

  "Auntie, I'm sorry."

  "What does it have to do with you, silly girl? What are you apologizing for?"

  "My mother she..."

  "It's none of your business, hurry up and go in, or you'll be blamed later."

  Mrs. Li waved her hand, indicating that she didn't blame her at all, but Shen Huan saw the impatience in her mother-in-law's eyes as she watched their conversation. Wasn't her mother-in-law just joking with her happily earlier? How could she have such an expression now? Shen Huan suddenly realized that she couldn't see through anyone around her. Was it because she was too stupid or were they too deep?

  Without time to consider these people's emotions, Shen Huan had already stepped forward and followed Li Shi into the government office, waiting...

  "Hurray... Bravo..."

  When the yamen runners on both sides shouted, Shen Han finally returned to her normal thoughts. However, at this moment, she was standing at the door with a group of onlookers. They came in late, and if they weren't relatives of the parties involved, they wouldn't have been able to occupy such good positions, let alone give them up to Shen Han, her younger uncle, and Hu Youxuan.

  "Who is kneeling under the hall?"

  When County Magistrate Qin slammed his hand on the table and asked this question that was completely unnecessary for Shen Huan, the matter that had made the whole family anxious for several days finally began its trial. However, when it actually started, Shen Huan's heart became calm instead. Perhaps this is what people mean by "waiting is the most unbearable".

  "Mrs. Yuan Liu..."

  "Villager Zhao Li..."

  "Appeal against injustice"

  Uh... Shen Huan looked at the backs of her mother-in-law and Liu Shi, and couldn't help but feel a little sentimental. How did they manage to talk like they were in a TV drama, and even coordinate with each other?

  "Presented to the Emperor"

  The master took the petition handed over by the bailiff and looked at it, Shen Huan was embarrassed again, just like in a TV series, were these scenes really necessary? The key is... when was this written? Why didn't she know?

  She glanced at Zhao Xiuzhu beside her, who still had an air of being unperturbed by anything. It was impossible to tell from his eyes whether he was confident or indifferent. Shen Huan pursed her lips, thinking that her younger uncle-in-law was actually not bad, but they just weren't suitable for each other, not only in terms of status, but also emotionally... She didn't have any thoughts about him at all.

  It seemed that Zhao Xiuzhuo felt the gaze of people around him, and he suddenly turned his eyes to look at Shen Huan. In the moment when their eyes met, Shen Huan had a hint of guilt, and there was also an unnatural flash of evasion in her eyes. All of this Zhao Xiuzhuo saw with his own eyes, and it pained his heart.

  She said she didn't care about the rumors, but actually did, right? Otherwise, why would those eyes that were always clear and fearless retreat when they saw her own?

  Still maintaining his usual attitude, Zhao Xiǎoqi nodded at Shen Han and said in a soft voice in front of many Baizhang members: "Don't worry, big sister, mother will be fine."

  Zhou Xi's words immediately made Shen Han realize what kind of situation she was in, and she had unknowingly drifted off again. She didn't have time to deal with the awkwardness in her heart, so she could only smile wryly: "I know."

  The brief exchange and conversation between the two were almost heard by the people around them, there was no excessive language between them, only Dajie and Xiao Shu's concern for Li Shi, behind a group of people couldn't help but glance at each other with their eyes: who said they had an ambiguous relationship? It can't be seen at all.

  Everyone nodded in agreement: Of course, of course. If something like this happened at home, wouldn't you comfort and help each other?

  Shen Huan and Zhao Xi Qiao probably didn't expect that their unintentional conversation would become a huge force later on. The fact tells us: the power of the masses cannot be ignored.

  Mr. Qin took the letter and glanced at it, but when he saw the letter handed over by the Zhao family, he couldn't help but raise his eyes to look at Zhao Xiuzhuo standing at the door, that calm and composed demeanor really made him break out in a cold sweat, this man would come looking for trouble if he became successful in the future.

  But thinking again about the trouble at home, he could only take care of the present for now.

  With a loud "slap", the wooden board in Qin's hand slammed onto the table again, startling Liu who was kneeling below, while Li lowered her head and couldn't help but curve up the corners of her mouth as she looked at her.

  "Zhao Li, originally an official, gave you the opportunity first, talk about the situation at that time."

  Everyone did not expect that County Master Qin Yu would let Li Shi go first, let alone others, even Liu Shi did not think of it. When hearing Qin Yu say this, they didn't even bother to show respect or not, and looked up at Qin Yu with obvious dissatisfaction in their eyes.

  The county magistrate on the platform had only two words written on his face at this moment, which were helplessness.

  Who called herself a timid person? Her family is much better than her own, and when she married him, it was considered a good marriage. If he had any dissatisfaction with her, people would say that Qin Yu was being stingy to his wife. But... why did she bring this trouble from the Yuan family to him?

  Mr. Li didn't bother to care about the undercurrents in between, and directly told the situation of that day. Although he was interrupted by Mrs. Liu several times, especially when mentioning "more children more blessings", she hated to squeeze out all her tears to express how painful it was for Mr. Li to shatter the "more children more blessings" and bring her a heavy blow, but unexpectedly not a single tear came out.

  Instead, it provoked whispers behind his back. Some bold ones even took advantage of the chaos to say: Who doesn't know how your family treated your daughter-in-law in the past? You smashed the "many children bring many blessings" and took her life away! Even if you wanted that life, it was the younger one's, what does the older one have to do with it? How did the older one die? Probably only your family knows.

  "No loud talking in the courtroom"

  It seems that this scene is about to escalate into a competition between Liu and the troublemaker, so Qin Yu immediately took out his official authority, slamming the wooden ruler on the table again. Shen Han saw how forceful he was and couldn't help but feel pain for his hand, as the ruler wasn't something that could be slammed down lightly...

  "Now that you, Liu Yuan, have raised an objection, tell us what the situation was like at the time."

  When Liu said that, she had much more confidence than Li. Li didn't say a word and let her continue to describe the situation at that time. When Liu got excited, she even stood up, which made Qin Yu somewhat embarrassed. He waved his hand towards Li and said: "Zhao Li, you get up and speak too."

  "Thank you, sir."

  Everyone couldn't help but sigh again. In fact, whether they looked or waited, the outcome was already known. However, Shen Huan couldn't help but feel that this Lord Qin seemed quite pitiful.

  After Liu added oil and vinegar to finish speaking, Qin Yu's face had already turned black. He wasn't unfamiliar with such an obvious confrontational scene, but Zhao Li's reputation for helping with childbirth was well-known, whereas the Yuan family's reputation wasn't that great...

  "Sir, I have something to say."

  At the moment when the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Qin Yu didn't know how to make it so that the Yuan family would win but not let the Zhao family lose too badly. Just then, his trusted subordinate, Yue Xue, stepped forward and had something to say.

  "By the way, you were also involved in that matter last time, Xiao Ying, why don't you tell me what you saw?"

  The appearance of Yingyueshan made the chaotic atmosphere in the public hall suddenly become somewhat subdued. Her entire body was originally cold and stern, and at this moment, due to her seriousness, it seemed even more oppressive. However, it was precisely this Yingyueshan, a female coroner like this, who was deeply respected by the people in town. She spoke little, but when performing autopsies, she was meticulous and never sloppy.

  "Your Honor, last time I was invited to the Yuan's house, when I arrived in a hurry, the woman in labor had already died from difficult childbirth."

  This news had been circulating in the town for a long time, but everyone was curious about how the child was rescued after the death of the pregnant woman. Liu didn't mention anything about the child's survival earlier, and Li only said that the child was narrowly saved. In fact, she had been paying attention to the movement at the door due to Shen Huan's request, while Shen Huan and Ying Yue Xue's figures almost blocked her entire line of sight. It wasn't until the child's cry that she rushed over and saw the result of the cesarean section.

  "In that case, how was the fetus saved?"

  "Sir, the process of saving the fetus is not suitable to be said in public, after all, it's a professional secret. The key point is that the child was saved and the Zhao family's lineage was continued. Giving birth is originally a matter of one foot in the ghost gate, and Madam Liu had intended to make things difficult for Mrs. Zhao from the beginning. If not for my intervention, I'm afraid what she asked for at the time would not have been just twenty taels of silver."

  Yingyue Xue's words made Qin Yu feel embarrassed, but the question he asked was indeed of no practical use. Yingyue Xue's words also won the approval of the crowd at the door, and although he felt a little unhappy in his heart, it wasn't good to say anything more.

  "Yuan Liu Shi, what else do you have to say?"

  "That many children and grandchildren are blessings, but taking them away is like cutting off the lifeblood of our Yuan family..."

  "Didn't I save your life? If it were someone else, do you think anyone could have saved your grandson after the mother died?"